1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for connecting a catheter to tubing for draining excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain.
2. Description of Related Art
It is common medical practice to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain in cases of hydrocephelus or trauma to the brain. This is commonly done by inserting a catheter into the ventricles of the brain by a process called a ventriculostomy. The catheter is typically made of silicone. An example of such a catheter is the model 46118 EDM Ventricular Catheter sold by Medtronic-PS Medical of Goleta, Calif. Excess cerebrospinal fluid is drained through the catheter into a flexible drip assembly line where it is collected and measured in a drip assembly system.
The catheter is connected to the drip assembly line outside the skull of the patient away from the opening placed in the skull for the catheter to pass. An example of such a drip assembly is the model 46128 Becker EDMS Assembly External Drainage and Monitoring System sold by Medtronic-PS Medical of Goleta, Calif.
As shown in FIG. 1, to fix the catheter 2 to the patient's skull, the catheter 2 is typically connected to the drip assembly line 4 of the drip assembly 6 through a luer connector 8 that extends a distance into an inner lumen 10 of catheter 2. The luer connector 8 has an axis 12 that is aligned with the axis 14 of the catheter 2. A silicone “collar” 16 is wrapped around the silicone catheter 2. A portion of the luer connector 8 extends into the catheter 2. Collar 16 is sutured to the patient's scalp 18. The stickiness of the two silicone pieces, catheter 2 and collar 16, keeps the catheter 2 from moving relative to the collar 16.
The axis 12 of luer connector 8 may run parallel to the patient's scalp 18 making it difficult to connect the drip assembly line 4 to the luer connector 8. This problem occurs because there is no clearance between the luer connector 8 and the patient's scalp 18. In addition, because there are separate elements for luer connector 8 and collar 16, additional time is required to separately configure the luer connector 8 and collar 16. Further, these types of prior art connectors rely on the inherent stickiness of the silicone to silicone contact to maintain the relative positions of the catheter 2 and the collar 16. It is possible that this inherent stickiness may be compromised in an operating room environment. These are problems in want of a solution.